System and method for advanced identification of a customer to decrease wait time for prescription

• US 10,074,084 B1
• Filed: 11/01/2011
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jhaveri, Nimesh S., Dhruve, Archana, Hill, Heather K., Kozic, Dejan, Tebbe, Laura Jean, Heald, Susan G., Tulyathorn, Warit, Jones, Mark A., Frisk, Sara B., Levin, Jennifer M., Comiskey, Jennifer A., Blanchard, David T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gort, Elaine L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hein, Devin C
• Application Number:
  US13/286,909
• Time in Patent Office: 2,506 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2, 705 3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0836 Recipient pick-ups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/10 together with a coded signal , e.g. in the form of personal identification information, like personal identification number [PIN] or biometric data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/009 User recognition or proximity detection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

In a method for advanced identification of a customer of a pharmacy, identification information of the customer is received at a first pharmacy computing device after an arrival of the customer at a pharmacy location and before an arrival of the customer at a pharmacy pick-up area of the pharmacy location. An identification of the customer is generated based on the received identification information. The identification of the customer is sent to a second pharmacy computing device. Using the second pharmacy computing device, and based on the second pharmacy computing device receiving the identification, an indication is provided to a pharmacy employee that the customer has arrived at the pharmacy location to pick up a previously prepared pharmacy order and that the pharmacy employee is to obtain the previously prepared pharmacy order for pick-up by the customer before the arrival of the customer at the pharmacy pick-up area.

Claims

1. A system for advanced identification of a customer of a pharmacy, the system comprising:

(A) a data storage device storing identification information corresponding to a customer of a pharmacy located at a store who has remotely placed a pharmacy order for a prescribed medicine or device but who has not yet picked up the prescribed medicine or device, wherein the store includes a pharmacy pick-up area;

(B) an initiator device located at the store, wherein the initiator device is configured to transmit a first wireless signal conforming to a first protocol to cause a mobile telephone to respond by wirelessly broadcasting identification information uniquely associated with the customer;

(C) at least one customer identification device located at the store that is communicatively coupled to the data storage device, the at least one customer identification device configured to;

(i) wirelessly detect a second signal carrying identification information that was wirelessly broadcasted by the mobile telephone associated with the customer after an arrival of the customer at the store and before an arrival of the customer at the pharmacy pick-up area to pick up the pharmacy order, the mobile telephone located at a second area substantially near an entrance of the store, wherein the detected signal conforms to a second protocol different from the first protocol, and wherein the second protocol is selected from the group consisting of;

a wi-fi protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, a cellular protocol, and an NFC protocol;

(ii) generate an identification of the customer by comparing the wirelessly detected identification information to the stored identification information; and

(iii) transmit the identification of the customer;

(D) an output device configured to provide at least one of;

visual output or audio output, the output device located at the store; and

(E) one or more computing devices located at the store, the one or more computing devices communicatively coupled to the at least one customer identification device and to the output device, the one or more computing devices configured to;

(i) receive the identification of the customer from the at least one customer identification device; and

(ii) cause the output device to generate an audible or visual indication to an employee of the pharmacy, after receiving the identification of the customer from the at least one customer identification device and before the arrival of the customer at the pharmacy pick-up area, that the employee of the pharmacy is to obtain the prescribed medicine or device pharmacy order for pick-up by the customer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one customer identification device comprises a self-service kiosk, wherein the self-service kiosk is further configured to provide at least one of:

(i) information regarding the pharmacy order for review by the customer before the arrival of the customer at the pharmacy pick-up area, (ii) an option for the customer to schedule a consultation with a pharmacist regarding the pharmacy order before the arrival of the customer at the pick-up area of the pharmacy, or (iii) one or more options for the customer to pay for the pharmacy order using the self-service kiosk.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one customer identification device comprises a device configured to capture biometric information of the customer, wherein the at least one customer identification device is further configured to compare the captured biometric information of the customer to stored biometric information of the customer and stored biometric information of at least one other customer of the pharmacy in order to generate the identification of the customer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is located in an area of the store where the pharmacy order of the customer is kept before the arrival of the customer at the store.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more computing devices include a first computing device located at the store, wherein the at least one customer identification device comprises:

a kiosk located at the store, wherein the kiosk is configured to wirelessly detect the signal carrying the identification information associated with the customer; and

a second computing device located off-site from the store and communicatively coupled to the kiosk, wherein the second computing device is configured to;

(i) use the identification information of the customer to generate the identification of the customer; and

(ii) send the identification of the customer to the first computing device via a communication network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the output device is mounted to a wall in order to increase a visibility of the output device to the employee of the pharmacy from within an area of the store where the pharmacy order of the customer is kept before the arrival of the customer at the store.

7. A system including:

(A) a computing device including an output device and located at a pharmacy pick-up area within a store; and

(B) an initiator device located at the store, wherein the initiator device is configured to transmit a first wireless signal conforming to a first protocol to cause a mobile telephone to respond by wirelessly broadcasting identification information uniquely associated with the customer;

(C) a customer identification device that is communicatively connected to the computing device and that;

(i) wirelessly detects a second signal carrying the identification information, wherein the identification information corresponds to stored identification information for a customer who has remotely placed a pharmacy order for a prescribed medicine or device but who has not yet picked up the prescribed medicine or device, and wherein the second signal was wirelessly broadcasted by the mobile telephone while the mobile telephone was located at a second area substantially near an entrance of the store, wherein the detected second signal conforms to a second protocol different from the first protocol, and wherein the second protocol is selected from the group consisting of;

a wi-fi protocol, a Bluetooth protocol, a cellular protocol, and an NFC protocol; and

(ii) transmits, in response to detecting the identification information, an identification of the customer to the computing device at the pharmacy pick-up area to cause the computing device to provide, via the output device, an audible or visual indication to obtain the prescribed medicine or device for pick-up by the customer.